Swim pool woes surface in city budgeting process

Colfax city swim pool money woes surfaced again Monday night as the city entered its budgeting process. Councilman Al Vorderbrueggen, who heads the city’s park board, told the council the pool sustained a big loss in revenue from last summer’s operation and could consume most of the parks reserve funds without some change in policy.

Vorderbrueggen said the city council has to make some type of decision to avoid another large deficit tap on the parks budget.

He noted pool funding was the key topic of a monthly park board session which preceded Monday night park board meeting. As a result, the park board approved another hike in swim fees for next season.

Vorderbrueggen suggested a special maintenance and operation levy or possibly another attempt at starting a parks and recreation district could be among the alternatives that the city council could undertake.

He pointed out the city pool revenue now operates with approximately 20 percent of the costs covered by revenue from admissions and fees at the pool. He noted that ratio is about half the normal standard for pool operations around the country.

Pool revenue from last summer’s operations totaled $13,650. That was a drop from $21,600 in total revenue from the previous year.

The $13,650 in revenue comes out at 21 percent of pool expenditures for last summer which totaled $64,700 .

Vorderbruggen noted the deficit is covered out of the city’s parks budget. He added if the situation continues next year, the pool expenses can be projected to consume all the uncommitted reserve funds in the parks budget.

An attempt to form a parks and recreation district for the pool operation and future capital expenses failed to pass last year with just a 58 percent approval from voters. The proposal started as an attempt to include Colfax School district in the proposed district, but that ended when county commissioners declined to put it to a vote by residents in the county. The district, if approved, would have led to a tax levy inside the Colfax City limits.

Councilwoman Sarah McKnight noted fewer people each year are using the swim pool. She said it was her impression that very few teenagers now frequent the swim pool during the season.

The pool ended the 2016 season with both boiler units for heating water out of commission. The city during the off season replaced one boiler and made other capital improvements which cost $44,872.

Vorderbrueggen noted the new boiler actually saved the city some money during its operation last season.

The proposed budget for next year does not allow any room for capital expenditures for the pool.

The parks budget will be among topics which will be up for discussion when the city council meets for a budgets session Monday.